


First Against the Wall

by ItsPurvis



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Chapter 4 is based on the first stage patterns of Perfect Cherry Blossom, Comedy, Faeries doing Faerie Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsPurvis/pseuds/ItsPurvis
Summary: Why do the faeries hate Reimu and friends? What got them so worked up?A look into the lives of faeries during an incident, set during Perfect Cherry Blossom. Originally written in 2009.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

A chill wind greets Lemon Drop as she emerges from her burrow under the old tea bush in the Forest of Magic. Shivering, she tightens her scarf a little and wades out into to the waist-high snow. The wind blows again, gently setting the icicles in the trees to tinkle against each other; Lemon Drop hardly pays any mind to the musical backdrop it creates, lost in thought and flicking her wings against the breeze. She can feel something far more important than any chill in the air, a sort of tenseness in the world waiting to spring forth.

"Some May, isn't it?" calls out a voice across the way.

Lemon Drop does not bother to reply, nor does she loos up when she notices another faerie approaching from the corner of her eye. Instead she continues to sort out the weighty thoughts that have been with her all morning, rather than her usual wondering about the weather or whether she made sure she let the fire burn down properly. She can almost taste the electricity in the air now.

"Hey, you okay?" asks the other faerie, as she reaches Lemon Drop's side and shakes her on the shoulder gently.

Lemon Drop turns to face the other faerie; a short blond with her hair in ringlets and wearing a thick and lacy blue dress; and says, "Sullen Plummet, it's time."

The wind ceases to howl, leaving a heavy silence between the two. Sullen Plummet looks at Lemon Drop with wide eyes, her lips drawn into a tight line. "It's...time," she repeats softly.

Lemon Drop can hear the unspoken question in Sullen Plummet's voice ringing loudly as a church bell. She nods, and gently places a hand on the blonde faerie's shoulder. "It's time, my friend, for the Revolution."

Slowly, the other faerie's jaw drops. Her eyes widen even more, as though trying to bring in more information to make sense of the strange new world she has entered. Then the edges of her lips quirk upward, ever so slightly. "Yes," she says softly. Then she laughs, just a little. "Yes! The time has come!"

Lemon Drop's face splits into a smile. She knew that her friend would understand. They would all understand. The time has come. The Revolutionary Party has been born!

****

Eagerly, Lemon Drop and Sullen Plummet walk through the forest; flying when wind permits. Not a word is said between them. Lemon Drop could hardly think of anything else that needed to be said. Sullen Plummet understood that the Revolution was coming.

They continue along their path, until Sullen Plummet holds up a hand and stops. Lemon Drop follows suit. The wind calms, and in the quiet she can hear voices coming from a nearby thicket. She nods to Sullen Plummet and smiles. With that, the two make a beeline for the thicket. Lemon Drop listens carefully, picking out a few familiar voices as she carefully steps around the branches and brown leaves of the dormant foliage. A few soft 'paff' noises tell her that they are coming to the end of a snowball fight.

For a moment, she wonders if it would be alright to join them. After all, a good snowball fight would help her prepare for the struggle to come. And it would be fun to plant one right between Tea Leaf's eyes, after borrowing her favorite sparkly piece of granite and losing it... Lemon Drop shakes her head. No! There will be time for training later! For now, the word has to be spread.

"Hello Lemon Drop, Sullen Plummet," says a tall, ginger-haired faerie; Lemon Drop recognizes her as Ficus Blossom; as the two carefully push through a thick and thorny raspberry bush and join the group. A dozen or so faeries are gathered here. "We're going to have a party and make a Snow Lily," Ficus Blossom continues, "Maybe it'll help encourage her to announce spring already!"

Lemon Drop nods. That did sound like a good idea. She hadn't built a snow anything for a few days now, and it would be a good idea to encourage Lily White to hurry up and announce spring, before it was time for summer... She shakes her head again, trying to clear out such musings.

"No," says Lemon Drop. The sounds of play and laughter fall quiet. Beside her, Sullen Plummet is silent but nodding.

"No?" asks Ficus Blossom, clearly making a conscious effort to keep her mouth from hanging open. "But..."

"No," says Lemon Drop again. "It is time." The words go through the gathered faeries as though the electric in the air had surged them, leaving them stunned. Lemon Drop nods, to confirm the thoughts that she knows they are having. "It is time for the revolution, my friends."

The silence gives way to a wave of excited chatter from the gathered faeries. Lemon Drop smiles as she sees many of them nodding excitedly and agreeing that the revolution has come. Then she notices that Ficus Blossom, and two other faeries aren't sharing in the excitement of the others. Instead, they have gathered together, talking quietly among themselves. Her smile drops.

With a bold stride, Lemon Drop approaches the trio. "You're with us, aren't you?" she asks, keeping her expression neutral and trying not to betray any hint of a threat.

Ficus Blossom straightens, and turns from her two companions to face Lemon Drop. She too keeps her face neutral. Sullen Plummet and the other faeries fall quiet, arranging into a half-circle around Lemon Drop, while Ficus Blossom's two companions gather behind her. "We're going with the Snow Party," says Ficus. "We not part of your Revolutionary Party."

The sound of the wind fills the otherwise silent air. Lemon Drop nods once. This, she realizes, is a serious affair. Already the party is dividing. She can tell that Ficus Blossom, although approaching the issue from the other direction feels the same way. They watch each other for a moment, then Lemon Drop starts to move! Quickly, Ficus Blossom shifts to the side.

BONK.

"Ow!" says Ficus Blossom.

"Ha!" replies Lemon Drop.

Lemon Drop pumps a fist to the air, while Ficus Blossom stumbles back. Then the ginger-haired faerie regains her composure and rubs her head. She nods to Lemon Drop, who offers her a warm smile. Ficus Blossom gives a little smile back, and Lemon Drop knows all is well. The Revolutionary Party remains whole and unchallenged.

As the three hitherto-errant faeries join with the rest of the group, Lemon Drop turns to face them. "Spread the word, everyone," she says, looking at each of their expectant faces as she does. "Everyone must know, the revolution is here! Quickly, find you friends and tell them!"

"What will we do after that?" asks a dark-haired faerie that Lemon Drop dimly recognizes as Treacle Flower. She pauses, having to admit that is a very good question. She glances to the east, where she can see the sun is still hovering not too far from the horizon. "When the sun is overhead," she says slowly, "Gather everyone at...um...the Old Stone Bridge! Yes! There, we shall plan our next move! The revolution shall be arranged there!"

The gathered faeries break out into cheers and whoops of encouragement. Lemon Drop crosses her arms and smiles back at the crowd. What a perfect idea, she tells herself, completely pleased that she thought of it. It only makes sense, after all. Soon after, the faeries of the Revolutionary Party break off into twos and threes, scattering in all directions. Sullen Plummet and Ficus Blossom join with Lemon Drop, as they too leave the thicket to see out other faeries. There was no time for standing around when the revolution had to be spread.

(Purvis sucks at the self editting, please be kind)


	2. Chapter 2

Together, Lemon Drop, Sullen Plummet, and Ficus Blossom continue to spread the word of the Revolutionary Party. First they encounter a group of a half dozen faeries who professed their allegiance to the Snow Faerie Party and devote themselves to making imprints of themselves all over the Forest of Magic. It takes but a few words to convince them that it was time for the Revolution and send them to the task at hand. Soon after, they encounter the Ice Skating Party by a frozen stream. These faeries prove to be a little more difficult to convince; Sullen Plummet takes it upon herself to prove her loyalty to the Revolutionary Party by subduing their leader herself. That affair neatly resolved, the trio then continue onward to the Other Little Hollow where the cold wind carries the smell of fresh pastries; the work of the Baking Party. The encounter with the Baking Party leads to heated negotiation, as they argue they couldn't leave their work to spread the word lest their foodstuffs burn. Ficus Blossom wisely resolves this issue by assigning the former Baker Party members the task of assuring that the gathering at the Old Stone Bridge would have light snacks for everyone.

Not only that, twice now they are approached by faeries hoping to bring them news of the Revolution and draw them into the Revolutionary Party. It was all Lemon Drop could do to keep from bursting with pride. The Revolution really was coming! Everything is falling into place so perfectly, it was just as she had hoped. Soon everyone would be gathered, ready and eager to further the revolution. And there would be danishes! The somber silence of the early hours of the Revolutionary Party were no more, now the trio chatter and laugh among themselves.

Soon, though, their chatter dies away to a sort of wary silence. The next leg of the trip would be the worst. Peaking through the trees, Lemon Drop can see the eaves of the Black White's Cottage. Only the bravest faeries would go near it this time of day; everyone knows that the Black White was notoriously grouchy right after waking up. As such, there was always at least one group of faeries nearby, plotting something.

Keeping her ears open, Lemon Drop and her companions walk along the snow drifts beside the worn path leading to the Black White's Cottage. Only a fool would walk on the path itself, where it was easy to be seen. Or, worse, to not be seen and run over by a careless human or youkai. Soon, the wind brings the sounds of whispers from above to her ears. She stops, calling Sullen Plummet and Ficus Blossom to a halt, then says, "Up there." The three crane their heads upwards, and quickly discover over a dozen faeries excitedly whispering among themselves in the boughs of a leafless maple tree.

After the wind dies down, the Revolutionary Party takes to the air and lands near the gathering of faeries. Lemon Drop quickly looks over them, and can't shake a feeling of disappointment at not recognizing any of them. "Hey there!" says one of the faeries, a short brown-haired one carrying a winter-browned sunflower. "We're gonna go to the Black White's house and draw nasty things in the frost on the windows! She's gonna flip her lid and it'll be so great!"

Sullen Plummet giggles, clearly enchanted by the idea. Lemon Drop shakes her head and, with gravity sharpened by practice, says, "Not today. It's time for the Revolution."

As expected, the gathered faeries begin to chatter excitedly as the idea takes hold over them. Lemon Drop casts a quick glance toward the cottage some dozens of yards away, but there seems to be no sign that its resident has heard them. "But," says, the faerie with the sunflower, cradling it closely, "we're gonna get her so bad...and it'll be-"

BONK!

"Ow!" says the faerie, nearly dropping her sunflower.

"Ha!" answers Ficus Blossom, thrusting her fist into the air.

Lemon Drop gives her companion an approving nod. "Good work," she says. Then she looks to the gathered faeries, who watch her expectantly. Lemon Drop straightens herself up, "The Revolution is coming, can you feel it in the air?" There is a chorus of nods and ascents. Lemon Drop crosses her arms and gives them a nod in return. "Of course you can! Our time is nigh! Soon, we shall bring the Revolution to Gensokyo, and drive our oppressors to their knees!" She uncrosses her arms to gesture and wave with increasing energy. "Now is the time! You must do your part to further the Revolutionary Party! Go! Go now and tell every faerie you meet! And when the sun is overhead, bring them all to the Old Stone Bridge, and the Revolution will truly begin! We shall overcome!"

"There's going to be pastries!" says Sullen Plummet.

"Yes!" says Lemon Drop. "There will pastries! With icing!"

The gathered faeries of the now-extinct Black-White Pranking Party cheer and bounce on the branches of the tree, sending a shower of icicles into the snow drifts below. Lemon Drop beams at them, crossing her arms proudly and feeling nearly five feet tall. Then the rustle of branches catches her ears. She looks toward the noise to see a largish faerie flying toward the group as fast as she can.

"You're not going to believe this!" says the interloping, beaming a grin so wide one might fear for the well-being of her cheeks and hovering near the party while panting for breath. "At the edge of the forest, I just found a kitty!"

"Kitty!" squeals several of faeries, including Ficus Blossom.

"C'mon, let's go play with it!" says the interloping faerie.

"No wait!" cries Lemon Drop. But it is too late. With a flurry of wings and joyful squeals, Ficus Blossom and nearly half the faeries depart immediately. The rest, including Sullen Plummet, look between their retreating friends and Lemon Drop. "N-no," Lemon Drop stutters. "The Revolution..." But in her heart, she could understand. There was a kitty out there! She could be giving it ear scratchies right now...

"Yes!" says Sullen Plummet, "The Revolution!"

Lemon Drop raises her head, doing her best to banish all thoughts of soft, fluffy kittens. "The Revolution!" she repeats. "It is time for the Revolution!"

"But..." says another faerie, her looking between Lemon Drop and the now-distant members of the newly-formed Kitty Party "There's a kitty..."

Lemon Drop freezes, her heart not letting her cast aside the validity of that point. But, her mind tells her, it is time. Suddenly she grins, grasping the truth of the situation. "We will play with the kitty after the Revolution!" The other faeries gasp. "Yes! After the Revolution, we will play with the kitty! After the Revolution, there will be many kitties!"

And with that, Lemon Drop knew the Revolution could never fail, nor would its supporters.


	3. Chapter 3

Standing atop the railing of the Old Stone Bridge, Lemon Drop's heart swells to the point of bursting. Arrayed before her are hundreds of faeries as varied as the colors of the rainbow, all of them chattering excitedly about the Revolution. Some of them sit in the boughs of the bare trees overhead, calling down to their friends playing in the snow. Others skate and gambol on the frozen stream running beneath the bridge, their laughter and excitement for the Revolution echoing under the stony arch. The wind bears the tantalizing smell of danishes, as the former Baking Party members circulate through the crowd with trays of the icing-drizzled treats. Lemon Drop could only wonder if the entire forest had turned out for the Revolution.

Sullen Plummet emerges from the crowd, and flies to Lemon Drop's side. "Well? Well?" says Lemon Drop, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Some tried to reform the Ice Skating Party," says Sullen Plummet, after finishing the last bite of her danish. "Tea Leaves set them to rights quickly. A few faeries haven't made it back yet, we think they went into the mountains to spread the word."

Lemon Drop practically squeals, "That's great!"

Sullen Plummet nods, and she counts events off her fingers. "The Bird Catching Party had a brief revival, but we absorbed back quickly enough when they couldn't find any birds. The New Beaver Dam Party just joined us, too, since they couldn't find any streams that weren't frozen. Oh, we've lost some more people to the Kitty Party."

Lemon Drop's eyebrows knit together as she frowns. "They have been a thorn in our side for too long, Sullen Plummet. If they do not stop their anti-revolutionary actions soon, we will have to deal with them."

"Quite," says Sullen Plummet, as she gestures to a faerie carrying a tray of danishes.

"They are traitors, they're betraying the Revolution, and as a result betraying all faeries everywhere. But even then, we cannot let their irritations distract us from our goal! Kitty Party or not, Sullen Plummet, it's time for the Revolution!"

"Mm-hm!" squeaks Sullen Plummet through a mouthful of danish.

Lemon Drop turns to face the majority of the crowd, and inhales deeply. "Everyone!" The gathering suddenly falls silent. Lemon Drop nods with approval. "Everyone," she says again, "We have gathered here today for one purpose! For one goal! The greatest of all goals! We are here for...the Revolution!" The crowd cheers, save for those like Sullen Plummet who are too busy with their pastries. The faeries playing under the bridge cease their games and climb up onto the banks to watch, as Lemon drop begins to gesture dramatically. "The time has come, everyone! This is the day! This day, we will..." Lemon Drop draws the word out, trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to do. Then it comes to her. "…Smash our oppressors!"

A stronger cheer meets this pronouncement; some of the faeries leaping into the air and waving their arms wildly. Lemon Drop beams at them, trying to contain her joy. All those people, looking up at her expectantly, smiling and eagerly hanging on her every word...

"Hey guys!" comes a voice from below, "What's going on over here?" Lemon Drop cringes, and forces her eyes downstream while trying to mentally prepare herself. Why now of all times?!

Sliding up the frozen stream as easily as if she were walking, Cirno waves to the gathered faeries. She flutters her wings a couple times, she takes to the air and lands gracefully on the bridge beside Lemon Drop. Standing head and shoulders taller than any else there, Cirno grins at the crowd, then says, "Hey, are those danishes? Lemme have one!"

"Sure, Cirno!" says one of the former Baking Party members, as she holds up a tray for the ice faerie. Lemon Drop tries her best to keep the smile on her face as the strongest faerie in Gensokyo towers over her, making yummy noises through a mouthful of danish. The crowd mutters amongst itself; Lemon Drop barely pays it any mind as any fool could predict the disagreement arising. Instead she just tries to keep the smile on her face, tries to keep her breathing calm, and most of all tries not to say anything that might get her turned into an ice cube. While this is the first time she's had to deal with Cirno personally, only a fool would think it possible to be able to subdue her if a disagreement arose...

"What're you guys up to?" asks Cirno, as she licks icing from her fingers. "I wanna play, too!"

"We're having a Revolution!" cries one of the faeries in the crowd, as the crowd's rumbling increases in volume, "It's gonna be awesome!"

"Neat!" says Cirno, her eyes lighting up, "We'll knock them all down!" Some of the crowd cheers at Cirno's pronouncement, others mumble among themselves.

Would it be worth it, Lemon Drop ponders. Would it be okay to let Cirno join the Revolution? She is the strongest, after all, and they'll probably need some heavy lifting or spell cards or something. But on the other hand, she's Cirno. Looking up at the ice faerie that pays her no mind, Lemon Drop shakes her head. It's Cirno; she's so big. And weird. And weirdly big. She wasn't sure if that'd be a problem for her, but Lemon Drop couldn't tell about some of the others. Cirno was just too weird to be around for some faeries. Unless...

"Hey Cirno," says Lemon Drop, "What were you going to go do?"

"Me and Letty were gonna go make snowcones," says Cirno, giving Lemon Drop a grin. "It's gonna be so yummy!"

"You better hurry up, then!" says Lemon Drop, "Winter's gonna end soon and then Letty will have to go away!"

"Oh crap, I almost forgot!" says Cirno, as she leaps off the bridge and takes to the air. A few other faeries cry out in dismay and take flight after the ice faerie. Cirno waves back at Lemon Drop, "Thanks a bunch!"

Lemon Drop cups her hands at her mouth and shouts, "Make enough snowcones for the revolution!"

Cirno gives a thumbs up. "You got it!" Then she and the other faeries of the Letty Snowcone Party round a bend and disappear from sight. Lemon Drop sighs, letting relief wash over her. Allowing a few faeries to run off in the name of the continuing the Revolution seemed like a good sacrifice.

"Hey guys!" pipes up one of the faeries in the crowd, "Let's go make snowcones with Let-"

BONK!

"Ow!' cries the speak.

"Ha!" answers another faerie as she thrusts a fist into the air.

Lemon Drop gives an approving nod to the victorious faerie, making a mental note to reward her when there was something to reward with. Then she takes a deep breath and says, "The Revolution is here!" The crowd silences and looks back to her. No longer, though, can she see the shining enthusiasm that was there before. Quite a few are more interested in the danishes now, and she can hear a few conversations involving Cirno among the gathered faeries.

"Excuse me, I have a question?" says a red-haired faerie near the front of the crowd.

Lemon Drop frowns at the interruption, and at the vaguely familiar face. Doesn't she live in the tree down by the Big Rocks? Noticing the crowd falling quiet, she answers, "Yes?"

"Um," says the faerie, who Lemon Drop suddenly recalls is named Maple Starfruit, "You said oppressors before, but who are the oppressors?"

Lemon Drop just looks at her for a moment, and then says, “Who are the oppressors? Who are the oppressors!? How can you even ask that! I will tell you who the oppressors are! They are..." Lemon Drop drags the word out again, as her mind races. Thinking back, she remembers the worst part of the day, and feels a spark of inspiration. "...The ivory cottage intellectuals!" The crowd gasps. "Yes! Hiding in their cottages all day, zapping faeries with their spells and their weird dolls and their danmaku! Ha! They think they can do whatever they please! We ill need such oppressors as them! What did we ever do to them? Just drawing things on the frost and taking things from the garden and maybe coming in while they were asleep because it was raining! Down with the ivory cottage intellectuals! They'll be the first to fall!"

The roar of the crowd almost deafens her. Glancing over, Lemon Drop can see Sullen Plummet bouncing and applauding wildly. Glowing, Lemon Drop takes another deep breath and says, "I'll tell you who the oppressors are! The shrine is our oppressor! With its shrine maidens throwing seals at us and hitting us with that paper stick thing and stealing our mushrooms! So what if we borrow shiny things from that box in front! That's what faeries do, isn't it? That's right! Down with the Shrine! The shrine maidens think they can ruin our fun? Ha! They'll be the first to fall!"

Lemon Drop crosses her arms proudly and nods to the roaring crowd. "And then there's the traitors to faeries! You know who I'm talking about! People who act like our friends, then they go and betray the Revolution! Well ha! Ha I say! They think they can betray the Revolution? The Revolution will betray them! They'll be the first to fall!"

She nods to the roaring crowd again, hoping that someone down there didn't hurt their throat. That would just be sad. Then she hears something else, faint words carried by the wind. Turning her back to the crowd, she walks to the other side of the bridge and cups a hand near her ear. She can just make out voices, laughing and calling to each other. Then she hears one word, one that makes her hair feel as if it were standing on end:

"Kitty!"

"The class traitors!" cries Lemon Drop, whirling back to the crowd as it gasps. "Do you hear them!? The class traitors are coming for us, hoping to stop the Revolution before it starts! Let's get 'em!"

Then she takes to the air, and the roar of the crowd alone tells her that the Revolutionary Party is behind her.

****

Lemon Drop stands over a fallen faerie. "Say it! Say: 'I will never betray the Revolution again!'

"But," Ficus Blossom says, "there was a ki-"

BONK!

"Ow!" cries Ficus Blossom.

"Ha!" says Lemon Drop, thrusting a fist into the air as the gathered Revolutionary Party cheers. The three dozen or so members of the now-devastated Kitty Party have melted into the Revolutionary Party. Flushed with victory, Lemon Drop can't help but smile at the vanquished Ficus Blossom, even if she did earn extra punishment. "Say it!" she repeats. Then after a moment, she adds, "Please?"

"I'll never betray the Revolution again," says Ficus Blossom through a sigh.

"Yay!" says Lemon Drop, as the crowd cheers. Ficus Blossom smiles at them bravely. Then, Lemon Drop faces the crowd and asks, "Hey, how many of you guys know danmaku? We're gonna need it for the Revolution."

A chorus of "Me!" and raised hands answer Lemon Drop, seeming to make up just a little less than half the crowd. Lemon Drop shrugs. On a good day, she could conjure up a few decently sized shots. About half didn't seem too bad.

"Hey, I have an idea!" says Sullen Plummet. Lemon Drop looks over and nods for her to speak up. "Why don't we get Sudden Rain to join the Revolution?"

"Who?"

"Sudden Rain," Sullen Plummet says again. "She lives by those weird pillar things, the ones that go waaaaay up in the sky."

"Oh," says Lemon Drop, who had never left the Forest of Magic in her life.

"She's real good at danmaku," Sullen Plummet continues. "She's not as tough as Cirno, but she's really dynamite! She has a spell card and even beat up youkai, they say!"

Lemon Drop raises an eyebrow. "She really has a spell card?"

Sullen Plummet nods excitedly. "Yeah, yeah! I mean, she doesn't know how to use it, but she's got one!"

"That's impressive!" Lemon Drop rubs her chin for a moment. "Okay, take a couple faeries with you and go find her! Tell her all about the Revolution!"

"I will, I will!' Sullen Plummet skips to toward the crowd and orders a couple faeries to join her. Lemon Drop watches her with a proud smile as she does. If there was anyone as devoted to the Revolution as she, it was Sullen Plummet.

As Sullen Plummet and the Exploratory Revolutionary Party depart, she turns to the crowd again. "Okay! I want some of you who can't do danmaku to go find other faeries! We've done a whole lot today, but we need to spread the Revolution all over Gensokyo!" The crowd cheers in response, but that it quickly cut off by a shrill scream from someone near the back of the group. More panicked cries ring out, as some of the faeries point toward the sky. With a scowl, Lemon Drop follows their gestures.

There, visible through the leafless trees and hovering a few hundred feet off the ground, is a familiar dark-haired woman in red and white clothing. She looks around for a moment, and then holds a finger up to the wind. Then she begins to fly toward the north.

Looking back to the crowd, Lemon Drop can see that the mere appearance of the Red-White was more than enough to shake the resolve of many. She forces back a frustrated scream. Not now! Not after they had come so far! "There she is!" Lemon Drop cries, pointing at the vanishing shrine maiden. "There is the oppressor! Flying around without a care in the world!"

The crowd falls quiet, looking to Lemon Drop once again. "Do you see that? The Red White doesn't fear the Revolution at all! But look how she's running away already! Ha! Who said she could get off the hook that easy? Let's get her!"

The affirming roar of the crowd nearly brings tears to Lemon Drop's eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Taking the lead, Lemon Drop directs the faeries of the Revolutionary Party to stay low under the trees. Everything seems to be happening so fast now; she had hoped that there was going to be more time to plan things out. But, she tells herself, this opportunity is just too much to pass up. If they could take down one of the oppressors now before the Revolution was even known to the outside world, who could possibly complain?

Still, she keeps low so that the trees will mask their presence, trying to figure out what the Red White is plotting. Lemon Drop is fairly certain that she is flying in the same direction as Sullen Plummet, but she doesn't seem to be in an especial hurry. Every so often, the Red White stops and tests the wind again before flying onward in the same direction.

Before long, Lemon Drop can see they are drawing close to the mountains. Never before had she strayed so far from her home, and in another lifetime she might have exalted in the exploration. But the Revolution allows for no such things; Lemon Drop pays the new terrain only enough attention to avoid slamming into the trees. Instead, her mind whirls as she tries to come up with some kind of plan to actually fight the Red White. The wind's too erratic to try and surge up from below, and if everyone charged in at once, she would just try one of those nasty spell cards and that would be the end of the Revolution. She frowns as various formations come to mind, and discards them as impractical or just too hard to do. It'll have to be kept simple. Simple, and enough to keep from tempting the Red White from doing anything drastic until it is too late.

It is a blessing, Lemon Drop realizes, that their target doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry. Without having to fly at top speed, she is able to spend a little time appointing lieutenants and getting an idea of what some of the people in the Revolutionary Party can do. Some, having no skill at danmaku at all, she sends up ahead to find other faeries and spread the word to them. Others she orders into groups and platoons, so she will have an easier time directing them. As she gets a more clear idea of what the Revolutionary Party can do, she can begin to see a plan, one that should decisively crush the Red White once and for all!

Soon, the trees begin to thin out, as the land becomes more and more uneven and hilly. Soon, Lemon Drop realizes, they'll have to strike or they'll lose the advantage of surprise. As the Red White stops to check the wind again, she stops as well and quickly explains the plan. The faeries nod, each platoon finding their orders simple enough to follow. Still, though, she can feel their uncertainty hanging over the air. Glancing upwards to see the target still checking the wind and reasoning there is still a little time, Lemon Drop looks back up to them and says, "This is it. At this moment, we shall strike the first blow for the Revolution, breaking the back of our mightiest foe! You will be remembered forever as the heroes that first struck down the hated Red White!"

Seeing the some affirming nods and growing smiles among the party members, she grins back with as confidence as she can muster. "The fool will never know what hit her! But she will be only the first that we will grind beneath the Revolution! When people look back upon history, the Red White will only be a footnote in the rise of the Revolution! She will be all but forgotten next to your names!"

"She just flew away," says Tea Leaves, as she points toward the sky.

Lemon drop whirls around to see the Red White has moved on. "Oh hell!"

Turning back to the Party, she points at one of the platoons with her right hand while waving her left arm. "Raspberry Flower, go! Hurry!" The faerie nods, and takes to the air, eleven others following her. "C'mon!" says Lemon Drop to the rest of the Revolutionary Party as she takes to the air, "We can't let her get away now! Orange Candy, go!"

As that faerie and another group of eleven followers departs, Lemon Drop shouts orders to the next wave, sending them on their way while she looks up in time to see Raspberry Flower's platoon engage the enemy.

"The Revolution is here!" cries Raspberry Flower as she swoops in toward her target's right.

"Who are you people?!" says the Red White in turn, while reaching into a skirt pocket. "Leave me alone, I didn't even go into your stupid forest!"

"Ha!" Raspberry Flower answers as she raises her arms to prepare a volley of danmaku, moments before a paper seal smacks into her face and sends her spiraling to the ground.

"Fiend!" cries Orange Candy as she and her division come at the Red White's left, and is quickly knocked out of commission by talisman to her temple. Lemon Drop frowns, but she had expected most of this. But it would have been nice to know that the Red White has such a fast arm.

The next platoon reaches her now, a group of ten faeries led by Tea Leaves. Unlike the last two, this group doesn't charge the Red White, but instead lingers back a bit. Lemon Drop grins, seeing the Red White pause for a moment, exactly what she had hoped for! "Cedar Needle! Peach Fuzz! Go!" she cries, "Sandy Loam, follow Cedar Needle! Rice Blossom, I want you right behind Peach Fuzz! Hurry! Golden Grain, slip your team into two and hit her from both directions, we have her now!"

Looking back to the sky, Lemon Drop sees Tea Leaves successfully conjure a small wave of danmaku and fires it at the Red White, as the latter is busy picking off the rest of her group. The Red White dodges between the bullets easily. Lemon Drop smiles and gives a low chuckle, as the the next few waves close on their unsuspecting target. Then she shivers a bit as a wind picks up and reaches to tighten scarf, before her blood starts to run cold.

Lemon Drop watches, jaw dropping, as the divisions she had just sent up are caught up in the wind. Some of them tumble through the air, blown head over heels crying out with surprise. The Red White looks over at them calmly, then sends more talismans flying at them. "N-no" rasps Lemon Drop. They were the best! All they had to do was get close and send danmaku in every direction; not even the Red White could have dodged it all if she was distracted by the others! But now...

No! Lemon snarls, trying to drive off her dismay, all is not lost yet! She gestures at two platoons of thirteen faeries beside her. "Go! Throw everything you got at her! Go!" Then to a group of fifteen led by Ficus Blossom, she says, "Follow them! Give her everything you got! Don't let up on her for a second! Now!" Lemon Drop does not bother to watch as the divisions scramble into motion with angry cries and taunts for their enemy. Instead she points at a group of four, the closest of the danmaku capable faeries, and cries, "You four, follow me!" She does not wait for them to say anything in reply, taking to the air after Ficus Blossom's group.

The wind has died down again, thankfully, as the first wave of twenty-six falls upon their target. Lacking much skill in danmaku, certainly not enough to pull off anything on such short notice, they simply charge at the Red White while shouting incoherantly. "C'mon, this isn't funny anymore!" says the Red-White as she sends another wave of talismans flying at them. As she does, Ficus Blossom's division follows close, forming into three waves of five.

Dimly aware that the platoon she called to join her has formed up with her, Lemon Drop allows herself a grin as Ficus Blossom's division unleashes lines of danmaku on the Red White. She dodges left and right around the shots, but it is enough to have mildly disrupted her previous rhythm and she stops to reassess the situation. Lemon Drop gives a final burst of speed to get into position, there wouldn't be an opening like this again. The Red White dodges around one of the waves of Ficus Blossom's division as Lemon Drop closes in. Then, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she shouts, "Now!"

Lemon Drop had never been that good at danmaku, things requiring that kind of concentration were never her forte. But now, now there is no other choice. She reaches within herself, digging deep into her heart. It's now or never. If she falters here the revolution will be over! That can't happen, it must not be allowed to happen! She can feel the energy gather around her, starting to prickle unpleasantly at her body, but she holds it. Just a bit more, she tells herself as she pushes the limit of what she can hold, trying to imagine the shape she wants. Just a bit more. Then, as it feels like five is consuming her, she lets it all burst free.

Opening her eyes, she watches as several lines of electric blue danmaku fly from her outstretched hands, fanning outward in a beautiful spread. The faeries around her match the pattern, filling the air with dozens of bullets, as the last waves of Ficus Blossom's platoon clear out of the way. "Crap!" cries the Red White, as she dodges to the left, then to the left again, then charges forward to try to power through a gap before it disappears. At that moment, Ficus Blossom flies through that gap, and wails in horror as the Red White hurtles right at her.

Splat!

Ficus Blossom slams right into the Red-White's face. The two tumble in midair, the Red-White falling backwards, then downward as gravity claims her! Lemon Drop's heart flutters. Did they do it? Had they actually crushed the oppressor? She watches, transfixed and breathless, as the Red White tumbles through the air. Her companions cheer, she can feel the breeze from them waving their arms in celebration. They did it, she realizes, they really did it! "Long live-" she starts, then:

"That's it!"

The Red White turns in midair, regaining her balance and producing a small, colorful bit of paper. She tosses it, and Lemon drop can only watch with the same fascination as she had watched the tumbling Red White, for she had never seen a spell card before. Then the world explodes into a rainbow.

****

A dull ache engulfs Lemon Drop as she slowly opens her eyes. She can see the cloudy sky above, and then blinks as a snowflake lands gently on her eyelashes. There are groans all around her. "Is....everyone okay?" she asks.

"I think she bit my leg..." says Ficus blossom, from somewhere past Lemon Drop's head.

"I can't stop seeing stars!"

"I wanna go back to bed."

"It kinda hurts," says Ficus Blossom.

"Has anyone seen my hat?"

"I think I'm going to have a scar," says Ficus Blossom.

"It is a mark of honor," says Lemon Drop, trying and failing to put enthusiasm into her voice. "A medal of courage in the fight against the oppressors."

"Oh okay," Ficus Blossom answers.

"Are there any more danishes?" ask another faerie

"Hey, I bet there is are some neat trees around here!"

"Okay the stars are gone now."

"I want some lunch."

Lemon Drop closes her eyes, and waits for the aches to fade away. She can hear the other faeries wander off one by one. A part of her is upset, but just as she defeated the Snow Lily Party, the Baking Party, the Kitty Party and all the rest, they had been defeated by the Red White Party. Still, it was a little disappointing. But a flicker of hope still burns in her heart, she had sent out many faeries to spread the word of the revolution, so it would not just die here. And there was still Sullen Plummet, if she could get Sudden Rain to join the revolution...

Then she realizes she is alone. With a sigh, Lemon Drop picks herself up from the snow and dusts herself off. She frowns at her dress, now charred a bit in several places, then looks around. It seems she landed in a valley clearing; the snow-covered mountains tower over her while flurries of snow waft lazily through the wind. Closer by, she can see stands of unfamiliar trees. Briefly, she wonders where she is. But having no one to ask, she simply picks a direction and starts to walk.

She passes by a copse of trees and walks around a fallen log buried in the snow. Perhaps when she gets home, Sullen Plummet will be back? It would be nice to drop in on Sullen Plummet's house for some tea...

A noise amidst the winter quiet breaks Lemon Drop from her reverie. Stopping and biting her lip, she looks around to make sure there aren't any dangerous animals prowling about. She hears it again, a sort of groaning noise. Waiting a little longer, it sounds again. Lemon drop turns around and frowns at the log, then approaches it. It groans once more.

"Are you alright?" she asks. It groans. Not certain what to make of the answer, Lemon Drop kneels by the log and starts to clean the snow away from it. Rather than feeling wooden or hard, the log is rather soft, and clearing some of the snow reveals it is wearing blue and white cloth. "Cirno?" asks Lemon Drop.

"Huh wha-?" answers the false log, as it sits up and scatters snow everywhere, then looks at Lemon Drop with bleary eyes. "Oh, hey."

"Are you okay, Cirno?" Lemon Drop asks.

"Yeah," says Cirno, "Just the Red White tricked me. I was out getting some good ice for the snowcones, you see? Mine's not so good for it today. And then the Red White came out of nowhere! And before I could even get my spellcard ready, she beat me up! That's just the worst."

Lemon Drop nods. "It's okay. She beat us up, too."

"So how's the Revolution going?" asks Cirno. "Can I join- Hey, do you hear that?" She looks toward the nearby trees, prompting Lemon Drop to do the same. Now that things are quiet again, she can hear a soft crunching of snow; something is walking through it. Cirno gets to her feet without a word, and silently the two approach source of the soft crunching sounds. Then a fuzzy gray tail pokes out from around a sycamore tree, and a soft "Mew!" joins the prior noises.

"Kitty!" cry Cirno and Lemon Drop as one, their prior defeats and indignations forgotten.

****

Left right left right, Reimu tells herself. Her lungs cry for air, but she dare not breath. Her eyes water, but she dare not blink. Ahead, she can see the intangible form of the ghost princess, barely a dot against the immense cherry tree dominating her field of vision. It had been a long, hard trip and a long hard battle, but Reimu could almost taste the end in sight. Yuyuko had been a worthy opponent, to be certain, easily one of the worst battles she had experienced. But it was nearly over now. Yuyuko was on the ropes.

Another volley of colorful butterflies fly from the hazy and indistinct form of the ghost, and another volley of lasers to match. It was intimidating to watch, but Reimu knew it was just that, intimidating. Still, she could ill afford to make a mistake now. With no more spellcards left, she as just as much on the ropes as her opponent.

Left, Right, Left, Right.

Yuyuko had to be wearing down by now, she couldn't keep this up more than half a minute. It was just a matter of time now!

Left Right Left-Wait is that going left too!?

A lavender butterfly slams into Reimu's chest, her lasts thoughts whether she was seeing things or if that last wave was going left at the end. If only she had one more spell card...

****

"Hey, you alright, Reimu?" comes the familiar voice of Marisa. Reimu opens her eyes, and sees the curious sky of Hakugyokurou. "Don't worry about Yuyuko, I got her."

"Son of a-" says Reimu, as she starts to recall what happened. She hated when Marisa stole the glory like that. Then she stops, as she recalls the last moments before being knocked unconscious.

"Stupid god-damned faeries!"


End file.
